Lt. Col. Dor Gidalia Ben Shimchon, commander of Battalion 52 in the IDF’s 401st Brigade, was killed overnight during operational activity in the village of Tebnit in southern Lebanon. He was 32 and lived in Kibbutz Beit HaShita. Three other soldiers were killed with him after a suspected object struck the unit’s tank.
Ben Shimchon was interviewed by ynet only three weeks ago, together with other battalion commanders from the 401st Brigade, after Brigade Commander Col. Meir Biderman was wounded. In that conversation he spoke about the fighting in Lebanon, the troops’ spirit, and the challenges posed by Hezbollah. “There are things that cannot yet be said,” he said. “But I can say with confidence that we are carrying out very significant actions here to improve the defense of the citizens of the State of Israel. I assume people will talk about them in the future. The fighters here are writing history in real time.”
He took command of Battalion 52 in April, after the previous battalion commander was injured, and led the unit in the Litani River area. “I took over earlier than planned and was handed a sharp, experienced battalion, one that does not stop in the face of any challenge,” he said. He also addressed the drone threat, saying, “We are at war with an enemy that learns and develops, and we are also developing and learning to always stay at least one step ahead.”
His wife, Maj. A., serves as deputy commander of a combat intelligence battalion. The couple has two young daughters. Last month, just before receiving a citation from the IDF chief of staff, she described balancing family life and combat service: “I gave everything I had. As a mother, I was completely in the battalion, which is my second family.” In his final interview, Ben Shimchon said, “It is important for those at home to know that we are not stopping the fighting.”
